Huntington Hosts Cosplay Parade Oct. 11

Bright and dark, men and women, heroes and villains will take to the street Oct. 11 for the first Cosplay Parade sponsored by Tsubuscon, which runs Oct.10-12 at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena Conference Center. The parade begins at 5 p.m. and will end at Huntington City Hall, where a competition occurs inside the auditorium. Tsubuscon emphasizes anime/magna creations, which for newbies is a style of Japanese produced animation that often stresses setting realism while magna is Japanese produced comics published mostly in black and white.

Blazing a trail of growth, Jack Varney, marketing director, said, "the nearest anime convention that has an official cosplay parade is Atlanta's Dragoncon." Varney welcomes "all cosplay groups and individuals to participate in the (parade), which is a free event. It's an opportunity to demonstrate your costumed role role play attire and related fashion accessories," as well as show "Huntington and the Tri-State what its all about."

Although marching in the parade does not require a ticket, you do need at least a one-day (Saturday) pass to participate in the competition inside the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium. Early registration is required for the competition.

The 2014 "con" represents an expansion . By 2015, the con will utilize the arena itself, and the adjacent conference center. Varney said the convention will feature pop-culture crossovers.

"Since Tsubasacon is close to Halloween, we feel it's a an ideal time to incorporate and capitalize on that particular theme and expand participants to all cosplay groups, regardless of affiliation with Tsubasacon," Varney said. They are "working with someone associated with 'Walking Dead,' It's not an A-list person as they are mostly tied up in New York City at the New York Comic Con."

WV native Jeremy Ambler, a "walker" from the show, will make an appearance too.

D.C. Douglas, the sinister voice of Albert Wesker ("Resident Evil") screams 'Chriiiisssss” as he melts in a lava lake will be a special "cross over" guest at the 2014 con. Douglas played the persnickety alien Zepht in "Star Trek: Enterprise" and Legion in the "Mass Effect" videogame series.

Other Voice actors include Japanese born Lisle Wilkerson and Paul St. Peter.

The Cosplay Masquerade Party takes place Friday night, Oct. 10.

Musical guest will be Eien Strife, which has been touring anime, comic and gaming conventions all over the United States. The concert tells the story of four adventurers from the world of Terina. Their high energy show shares adventures with the audience while interacting through animation and cosplay. Their first album, "Full Speed Ahead," has just been released.

Greg Wicker known as “Greggo” brings his anime game show to the convention and a Lip Sync for Life cosplay video contest. Songs can originate from Japan, America or Disney. The winner will stars in the con's own lip-dub video.

Varney called the upcoming event, "a celebration of the magic, wonder and beauty that is Tsubasacon." He stressed that despite "expanding our scope of programming offerings and demographics... anime /Manga will remain the foundation. Our loyal fans will not be disappointed with subtle addition. Anime is and always will be our strong suite," Varney said.

Further info, including artists and vendors, can be found at: http://www.tsubasacon.org

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/333598026811789

Word of warning: Hotels near Huntington do fill up. As of September the Holiday Inn was sold out.